Activity

Specially-appointed Professor Katsumi Kaneko giving a lecture
Far left: Associate Professor J. Slvestre-Albero,
representing Professor F. Rodriguez-Reinoso
of the collaborative research group

A project between Shinshu University and the University of Alicante was one of two outstanding collaborative research projects chosen from among 16 for the Strategic International Research Cooperative Program (JST) Japan – Spain Cooperative Research Outstanding Research Project. An event was held in recognition of this achievement at the Embassy of Spain in Japan on October 22, 2015, during which representatives from the two projects gave presentations on the results of their research, and a panel discussion was held on the nature of future collaborative research between Japan and Spain. In attendance at this event were Spanish Ambassador to Japan G. Benito Secades, Spanish Vice-minister for Science and Technology C. Vela, and Chairman of JST Michinari Hamaguchi.

The name of the research project conducted by Shinshu University and the University of Alicante was “Nanostructure Carbon Monoliths for the Storage and Conversion of Methane” (Duration of research collaboration: November 2009 to March 2013) (Professor Katsumi Kaneko has held a position at Shinshu University since 2010; prior to this, until 2009 he held a position at Chiba University). This research sought to analyze the state of methane in high thermal conducting carbon monoliths and carbon nanospaces for methane storage, and the stabilization of methane hydrate in carbon nanopores. The results of this collaborative research were published in high impact factor journals such as Journal American Chemical Society, ChemSusChem, Nature Communication, Materials Chemistry, and Carbon. In addition, high praise was given to 6 young researchers from Shinshu University (some from Chiba University) and 6 from the University of Alicante for having made achievements through reciprocal short term research stays at their respective universities, particularly for their discovery of the fact that methane hydrate is rapidly generated in small pores in carbon. During this event, our Spanish counterparts indicated a desire to consider further support for their collaborative research theme.